London Collections: Men S/S '16 – Day Two Report

Lou Dalton is always at her best when she takes things back to basics. This season was a case in point. Focusing on the essentials of a gentleman's wardrobe; the lightweight blazer; the Harrington jacket and the striped jumper - the key here was in the construction.

Triple stitched seams on immaculately cut combat trousers deserved closer inspection than was allowed for by the runway format.

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The lightweight tailoring, as ever with Dalton, was a highlight, while a perfectly tapered pair of trousers in sky blue waffle cotton knit looked tactile, comfortable and chic - unsurprising, given that the majority of the fabrics in the collection were provided by major Italian mill Lanificio Cerruti.

– Teo van den Broeke

2 | Coach

Photo: Getty

Stuart Vevers' second ready-to-wear collection for Coach played on the American leather brand's strengths, while moving into previously unchartered territory.

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The shearling which was so prevalent in the Autumn/Winter '15 collection was this season featured on brightly coloured high tops and pool slides.

A bold mix of 60s psychedelia and 90s New York hip hop, the collection's strength was in its outerwear.

Kaleidoscopic windbreakers, harringtons and mohair overcoats worked in playful juxtaposition to perfectly cut wool trousers in black and navy. Tiger print tees were off-set by technical bomber jackets and elegant leather totes and backpacks - luggage, after all, is a Coach speciality.

Spring summer 2016 felt like a continuation of Agi & Sam's body of work – but the progression has maybe slowed a little. The things we know them for (canny layering, stripes, great outerwear and of course, navy blue) were all present, and employed to great effect.

Overall though, it perhaps wasn't as barnstorming as previous collections have been. Because of their rapid early rise, we expect to be dazzled time and again by the brand. It’s unfair, because what they're doing is really good – not to mention, wearable.

The silhouette was loose and the fabrics were soft, and, coupled with those Agi & Sam stripes, a few of the bigger pieces felt like the sort of thing you'd wrap yourself in after an afternoon in the sea. Not what you expect to see at LC:M, but brilliant nonetheless.

The outerwear, an area the pair have always excelled in, was great. Light bombers with big fur collars were a distinct highlight, and it was great to see some proper coats in an SS collection, because why not?

All in all, a conservative but impressive collection, only highlighted by the great music (Alt J and Foals) and the goody bags littering the seats provided by our friends at Men's Health.

For his SS16 collection it seems creative director Mehmet Ali was keen to push the definition of this in unexpected and dazzling new directions.

Sportswear was a big influence, with his immaculate cuts being applied to scuba jackets, raincoats and windbreakers. Nylon work wear was mixed with suiting in bold Prince of Wales checks, with one memorable suit being part-transparent.

There were bold pops of colour drawn from both the Amies archive and aviation. The accessories – shoes, bags and particularly sunglasses – were among the best we’ve seen this weekend. If the new dawn suggested by the 2001: A Space Odysseyfanfare music and the vast spotlights beaming down on the catwalk in Kings Cross’ grand St Pancras Hotel was perhaps overstating things, Mehmet showed once again he’s the last person to be stuck in any traditional definition of what Savile Row tailoring means.

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